Heraklion Archaeological Museum Ticket & Audio Guide
Heraklion
4.0(132)
Heraklion
Experience one of the oldest and most important museums in Greece – the Heraklion Archaeological Museum – at your own pace with an audio tour.
Tickets for this activity are non-refundable. If you are not satisfied with your experience, please contact us to cancel your booking.
132 reviews
Pay a visit to the Heraklion Archaeological Museum, one of the most important museums in Greece and in Europe. At the center of Minoan art and historic preservation, this museum experience is sure to enthrall you with one-of-a-kind exhibits, artifacts, frescoes, and more. With an English audio guide – which you download onto your smartphone – start your self-guided visit on a smooth note. Your guide not only has history and facts about everything you’ll see but also includes more than 80 stories about the Minoan era.
The Heraklion Archaeological Museum was built between 1904 and 1907 over the remains of the St. Francis Monastery, which had fallen apart during an earthquake in 1856. It now houses the most valuable pieces of Cretan prehistory and history in the world, spanning 5,500 years. Some of the figurines that you’ll see include Seated Female Figurine, Snake Goddess figurines – a group of ancient sculptures excavated in 1903 in the Minoan palace at Knossos – The Poppy Goddess, and more.
Coming to other significant artifacts, you can’t miss the Golden Bee Pendant, Phaistos Disc, Minos Ring – supposed to have belonged to the legendary King Minos – and Stone Bull’s Head Rhyton, and much more. Each artifact tells a story of its own.
One of the most unmissable frescoes on view at the Museum is the famous Bull-Leaping Fresco, one of the most completely restored stucco panels. Archaeologists and anthropologists have studied this fresco for centuries to understand its meaning. Other priceless frescoes include the Blue Bird Fresco, The Cup Bearer, Prince of the Lillies, and more.